Limerick city set to be ‘animated’ this August
Plans for parts of the city centre will be closed off to traffic and turned into family fun zones
A SERIES of open-air and free events are set to take place around the city next month.
Under plans announced by Mayor John Moran, Limerick is set to be “animated” in August, with parts of the city centre closed off to traffic and turned into family fun zones.
The first citizen is looking at ways to “reconfigure” the Crescent area of Georgian Limerick so people can enjoy the space safely.
“Honan’s Quay will be closed from traffic for the month of August to introduce pedestrian and family friendly activities in this space,” Mayor Moran said in an update providing plans for his first 100 days in office.
On top of this, he says he is also looking at the feasibility of removing parking from the Potato Market to allow for similar activities in August.
A popular fishing event which took place in Corbally last week will also get a second outing, with the mayor saying he is keen to have this taking place several times through the year.
Mayor Moran said a lot of his plans for the city centre have come from talking to people on the canvass ahead of his election last month.
“People outside the city were saying they were not comfortable coming into the city anymore, or found less interest in coming in because of a reduced retail offering, or there were less activities than what they might like. A lot of what this is about is highlighting the great assets that are in the city centre for people who live in county Limerick,” said the mayor.
August is the focus, he said, because it’s the final month before children go back to school, and he also acknowledged many families may not be able to afford to go on holidays outside Limerick.
“I want to make this August a pilot for what we could do next year and beyond. We are doing our best to bring a temporary closure of the area around the Daniel O’Connell monument, Honan’s Quay, which was closed in previous years. We are also in conversations with the Market Trustees who we hope will be flexible about the temporary use of their space in the month of August,” he said in reference to the Potato Market.